Research and Resources for I-imagine Project

What if we had a "talent-oriented" curriculum instead of a test-oriented curriculum? ~ Yong Zhao, author of Catching Up or Leading the Way.

When kids can name and nourish their “spark” – every outcome parents and educators care about changes dramatically. ~ Peter Benson, Author of Sparks and President of Search Institute

Search Institute findings for young people who have identified their “spark” aka strengths, talents and affinities:

• have higher grades in school
• have higher attendance in school
• are more likely to be socially competent – less violent
• are more likely to be physically healthy
• are more likely to volunteer to help other people
• are more likely to be good stewards of the earth and its resources
• are more likely to have a sense of hope and purpose

• Sparks: How Parents Can Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers by Peter Benson
• Your Child’s Strengths: Discover Them, Develop Them, and Use Them by Jennifer Fox
• Helping Kids Hope by Dr. Gill
• Educating for Human Greatness by Lynn Stoddard
• The Affinity Project - The Strength Approach to Educating Children

Raise engagement. Raise hope. Raise achievement. Hope survey data shows that as "hope increases so does the ability of students to improve academically in the areas of math and reading." Hope Survey:






• Peter Benson's TED Talk on Sparks
• Power of Story by Tom Atlee. The Co-Intelligence Institute.
• StoryFields - The Narrative Shape of Our Lives and Cultures
• The Thriving Indicators Project a la Search Institute
• Thinking Our Way into the Future – The Power of Scenarios and Visioning
• What Kids Need to Succeed a la Search Institute












Carol Dweck's Article [Click Here]
Carol's TED Talk [Click Here]